Falcon's Liberty
by LostUmbreon
Summary: Sequel to "Eagle's Freedom". A simple trip to a fellow nation's home becomes an eye opening, alternate universe skipping, overall bizarre experience. And what's up with that guy who goes on and on about the world's demise? Warnings for language, rating may increase as this progresses. Most Hetalia AU's explained - Omegaverse, Cardverse, Gakuen Hetalia, etc.
1. Chapter 1: World So Cold

_Chapter 1: World So Cold_

"You've failed me."

A demented voice came from seemingly nowhere. A lone, sickly creature hovered in pitch black nothingness. The creature was an ugly beast; taut skin dark and grey like ash. Its beady black eyes were sunken in their sockets and darted around, looking into the darkness nervously. The creature had matted fur in places and moose antlers jutted out of its heads, one half way broken off from a previous battle it had not won. From the waist down was a phantom like tail, which was swishing in an anxious mannerism. From long, grey wrist bones with patchy fur were slender bones, burnt black, and claws with poison that could kill with a single deep scratch. The creature itself stank of blood and reeked of death and decay. Far in the distance, a fire like light flickered. The creature gave a submissive hiss but its posture remained upright and unwavering, trying to mask its uncertainty, "I have not failed."

"Then tell me who the one responsible for the failure on earth is and I will punish him." The voice glowered.

"Master…" the creature swallowed hard.

Both remained silent until the unseen one spoke again, "I gave you one simple job; only one. And you failed to even do that! You stupid beast! I knew I should not have asked a wendigo to complete such a hard task."

"Sir you don't seem to understand! The young American nation had figured out my tricks-" The wendigo was cut off.

"Tricks!"

"…He is truly not the easy one to be rid of. He is a master of the mind and soul, now."

"I see." The irritated voice soothed down into a softer one, "Then we should eliminate him by other method." The wendigo squinted in the direction the voice was coming from. The voice came in a cold sneer this time, "By dreams and illusions, my poor fellow."

The wendigo nodded, "The kitsune are creatures that fed on mind and soul and were dark pranksters. Which creatures are to aid me this time, sir?"

"You get no second chance, wendigo," the voice spoke.

The wendigo flinched, "But then who-"

"Not you," the voice interrupted, "Its time you meet your fate."

"Master..?" The wendigo called out. It was greeted by silence. The flickering light in the distance grew in size. Or it came closer. The wendigo couldn't tell. The light turned out to be a growing fire. It stopped its approach momentarily, making the wendigo squint and lean forward a bit. It let out a blood curling screech as the fire suddenly surged forward and engulfed the creature in a mass of flames; burning it until only ashes remained.

* * *

Another typical day in the American household; that's what today was. A blond, whose hair was the color of golden wheat, was sitting on his couch in his rather large household playing video games. His sky blue eyes were hidden behind rounded rectangle glasses as he focused on the screen, sniping off the enemy of whatever violent video game it was. "Shit, shit, shit, SHIT!" He yelled as his pixel character was killed and the 'Game Over' flashed on the screen. Frustrated, the blond tossed his remote controller aside and got to his feet. The sound of baggy jeans scraping across polished wood floors was heard as the American plodded down the hall to go annoy his older brother. Not even bothering the knock, the blue-eyed blond barged into the room to find it was empty.

He pouted unhappily and decided to drag his lazy butt to the office upon hearing papers rustle. Sure enough, there was the American's older brother, sitting at a dark oak wood desk doing paperwork. The blond at the desk had dirty blond hair and dark navy eyes, as well as oval glasses that were sliding down the bridge of his nose. "Connor…" The younger whined, making the darker blond look up from his work.

"What?" The other answered gruffly.

"I'm bored," the younger stated bluntly.

"Alfred Jones you are fully capable of entertaining yourself," Connor replied, voice highlighted with a southern United States accent, "Besides, I'm busy."

"Dude, you're an ex-nation, what could you _possibly_ busy with?" Alfred inquired, leaning against the framework of the doorway.

"The work that you refuse to do," Connor responded as he scanned over the multiple papers of trades and foreign policies.

Alfred pouted and walked over to the desk and stood on the side of the desk opposite Connor, planting his hands firmly on the desk. "Hey, I have every right to make you do all the stuff I don't want to."

"And why is that?" Connor asked, setting his pen down, turning his navy blue eyes to look into Alfred's sky blue ones fearlessly.

Alfred shrank back a bit. Although his pride would never allow him to admit it out loud, Alfred was always still a little bit afraid of Connor, even after the American Civil War. There was always that fear that the Confederate States would reform and rise again; and that was the exact reason Alfred was sure to keep his older brother and former enemy nearby. An Italian once told him, 'Keep your friends close but your enemies closer' and that was exactly what Alfred planned on doing. It sounded like good advice to him. "Because," Alfred tried not to stutter, "I beat your ass in the Civil War and your land totally belongs to me now! And you live in my house! I could so totally kick you out on the street right now if I wanted!" But he wouldn't, and Connor knew it, too.

"Just because I live in your house under your rules doesn't mean I need to abide and follow those rules," Connor replied, wearing a smirk on his face.

Alfred gulped a bit. Why did he always feel so nervous when confronting his brother face to face like this? Oh how he wished he knew… Alfred sighed and stepped back, "Why can't we get along?"

"Maybe it's because you prefer the sense of forever ominous government and ideals while I'd much rather go along with limited government and truths. I do believe in the Declaration we wrote together and the Constitution we also wrote together said that government should have little to no involvement anyway." Connor snorted and stood up.

"You're such a pain in the neck," Alfred grumbled.

"Yes, I'm your pain in the neck," the Southern ex-nation replied smoothly.

"Damn right you are," Alfred stated as his brother walked around the desk to leave the room, "You're also my bitch."

"I beg your pardon, city boy?" Connor glanced over his shoulder at Alfred.

"Yeah you heard me redneck." Alfred shot back icily.

"No hablo Ingles," the older brother rolled his eyes, having no better comeback, and left the room.

Alfred growled and stalked after him, "Where do you think you're going?!"

"I," Connor replied, still walking, "Am going to my room to take a nap."

"You asshole get back here! I'm practically your master!" Alfred yelled, inwardly snickering at the irony in the sentence itself.

"Right and I am the rebel who doesn't give a fuck. I think we established this in a war a while ago." Connor continued to his room, closing the door behind him. Alfred snarled a bit before walking up to Connor's bedroom door and leaning on it.

It had been almost a decade since the event with the wendigo trying to corrupt the world and violently shred Connor into non-existence. The former Confederate had been an angel residing in Paradise ever since he had been murdered by Alfred in the American Civil War. From there, Connor had watched a cannibalistic creature known as a wendigo plot to plunge the world into darkness. The reason for the demonic being's targeting of Alfred was simply to get to Connor to seek vengeance for his own death as a human. After a battle had ensued, both had gone back to Paradise where they talked for a while before falling asleep, then waking up in the real world, problems resolved and the wendigo gone. Nobody had known where the creature vanished off to, but it wasn't causing problems, so it was the least of their concerns.

Now the two brothers shared a main house between Washington D.C. and Richmond – solely for the reason Connor refused to be in the heart of a nation that would reject him and that Alfred refused to be in the former capital of a rebelling nation. The two settled for building a home together an equal distance from both their capitals. All had been peaceful between the two, although Connor was slowly becoming upset with having to do all of Alfred's work all the time. He didn't mind every now and then however. But today, it seemed, Alfred was going to be extra annoying.

"Yeah well I think you should at least come out to the garden with me," Alfred pouted. A few moments later the bedroom door cracked open and Alfred nearly fell backwards but he caught himself. He spun around grinning and pushing the door open the rest of the way. Grabbing his older brother's hand, he charged to the back door leading to the garden, "I knew I could get you to spend time with me if I brought you out to the garden!"

"I just don't want you trampling my flowers…" Connor muttered.

"Because planting flowers is so very manly," Alfred teased.

Connor huffed, "I can grow more than flowers, you damn Yank. Like tobacco and cotton for example." Alfred threw a glare over his shoulder to see Connor smirking victoriously.

"I swear if you start growing tobacco here illegally I'm going to strangle you," Alfred snarled.

"And I swear if you get in another fist fight with Pablo I'll mess you up beyond repair," Connor shot back not missing a beat.

"Oh right, your pretty little Mexican boyfriend. Yeah, sorry," Alfred let go of Connor's hand when they got out to the lawn, "I'll try not to rip his dick off."

"Take that back, Yankee!" Connor hissed and tackled Alfred to the ground.

"Wow, aren't you sensitive?" Alfred commented as he wrestled about on the ground with Connor, grunting softly when he realized the older brother was almost as impossibly strong as he was.

"Well you don't like it when I talk about you being a tramp," Connor panted out, struggling to keep Alfred pinned under him, "Heartbreaker. How many people you been sleeping around with now? How come you ain't got any STD's yet, boy?" Alfred began to writhe in fury under Connor, "Every night you're fucking somebody new. Just in the last week it's been Francis and Arthur and Ivan and Toris and Kiku twice and even sweet little Matthew. My god you even tried screwing around with me. Are you seriously that needy-?"

"You're just jealous!" Alfred spat as he managed to wrestle Connor to the ground under him, "You couldn't get laid even if a prostitute came and begged you!"

"Prostitutes are low!" Connor hissed, "And you forget my values!"

"Your values are stupid! Waiting until after marriage to have sex! You know as a nation that's impossible! We have foreign policies to establish and trades to make and all that other nonsense-" Alfred was cut off sharply.

"And diplomacy, my darling America!" Connor taunted, mimicking a certain French nation.

Alfred snarled and turned the faintest shade of pink, "I was a growing nation that time, okay?"

"And apparently he was a great lesson teacher," the older blond snorted and pushed Alfred off, sitting upright.

"Damn right he was a great lesson teacher. Better than yours," Alfred puffed, also sitting upright, catching himself before he slipped into the in-ground pool.

Connor looked away a bit sadly, darkness shadowing his eyes, "You don't even know how true that is."

A sudden flash of remembrance crossed Alfred's thoughts almost painfully. Back when the wendigo had been attacking Alfred and the rest of the world through mind play, he and a few other fellow nations had gone into the depths of Alfred's memory, where, after the rediscovery of Connor and Alfred's names as children, it was revealed why Connor was the way he was. Constant rape and torture ensued for years on end until Pablo Rodriguez, Mexico's personification, found out what was happening and put an end to it, declaring independence from Antonio Carriedo, Spain's persona. At that point it had been well too late to reverse the damage that had been done.

"If I could change history for you I would have prevented that whole situation with Antonio. Then maybe we wouldn't have fought and the wendigo wouldn't have even existed," Alfred sighed.

Connor sent a glare in Alfred's direction, "You know very well why we shouldn't alter history."

The two were quiet for a while longer before Alfred stood up, "Come on, and let's get off this depressing topic."

"Yeah, you probably right. Don't do a man no good if he lingers on something long ago," the older brother agreed, standing up. "When are you going to cover up this damn thing?"

Alfred tilted his head, "The pool? Dude, it's only August! And it gets hot! It's hot out here right now!"

"93 degrees ain't hot. That's a blessing," Connor snorted, "110 plus is hot."

"Why do you want me to cover it up anyway? It's something nice and relaxing to go to when it's hot and humid and sticky. What's the matter, afraid of the water?" Alfred teased with a grin. When the older brother said nothing, Alfred grinned, "You're afraid of the water! Oh my god that's hilarious!"

"It's not a joke! I hate deep or fast flowing water!" Connor crossed his arms, "I was never taught how to swim and I certainly don't intend to try and learn now!"

Alfred snickered, "It's because most of the Southern population back then and now consists of blacks and Hispanics. Those two races hate water with a burning passion and most black people can't swim to begin with."

Connor rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath, "And here everybody's callin' _me_ racist…"

"Come on I'll teach you!" Alfred grinned and headed to the pool.

Connor stubbornly shook his head, "No you damn Yank. I'm terrified of possibly drowning."

"Oh please," Alfred pulled his own shirt off, "I'm not going to let you drown in a swimming pool. And you'll have to learn eventually. Even the nations who live in constant winter wasteland or dry desert nothingness learn how to swim eventually."

"Err…no thanks… I'll stick to the mainland and continue to garden," the shorter male huffed and began to head over to the flower beds and kneel down, beginning to pluck weeds from the mulch.

"And what are you going to do with the rest of your existence? Every nation has a job. We all get special government issued ID's and our birth slash creation year isn't required, just whatever quote 'birthday' month and day we put down. And if questioned by the public, we slip them a piece of paper the government assigns us to show those in question. So everybody works somewhere! Like I'm part of the United States National Guard, and Gilbert is part of a popular band in Germany. Lovino, Veniziano, and Antonio run a little bed and breakfast place with entertainment other nations come in and provide or to show off their talent. We all do something based on a special skill we all have." Alfred explained.

Connor sighed, "I guess I still haven't found something I'm good at. I'm too opinionated for politics and I don't agree with your entire government system to begin with. Forget the fine arts like music or art or drama. I just hate people in general."

"Why not become a writer then?" Alfred suggested, walking over to the patio and laying down on the hammock.

"I'm not handy with a pen and paper. My grammar, vocabulary and such needs more…getting to know modern day English terms." He tugged at a particularly stubborn weed.

Alfred sighed, rocking back and forth slowly with one foot on the ground, arms across his chest, "I'd suggest an avionics mechanic or computer engineering or even drafting and design but you hate people and technology. Anything medical is out of the question. Hey," the sunny blond sat up, "How about law enforcement?"

Connor paused in struggling with the stubborn weed, "Law enforcement? You honestly think that's the best route to go?"

"Well they're also hiring in the government's science lab in nuclear technologies to help advance weaponry," Alfred shrugged, "But that's a lot of math and science and yuck I can't make that shit. I only know how to fire them and reload the ammo. But hey, maybe that's your thing; it certainly isn't mine."

"I'll think about it," Connor muttered and went back to struggling with the stupid little weed. When he finally pulled it out of the ground he looked at its massive root system, "What about eco-science?"

"You could probably do that," Alfred yawned. Connor sighed and tossed the weed aside, fixing the mulch before moving on to pull out more weeds. It was comfortable silence between the two until Connor finished tending to his garden. A robin perched on a branch of the small magnolia tree and the blond sitting on the grass in the shade watched it for a while. By the time the evening rolled around, the robin had begun constructing a nest in the tree.

"There's rumor floating around that Gilbert and Lovino are starting to flicker in and out of existence; because there's no need for either of them anymore. Ludwig has got all of Germany unified and Veniziano's got all of Italy unified. There's simply no need for an eastern Germany personification or a southern Italy personification anymore." Alfred spoke out of nowhere.

The elder brother didn't reply, only getting up and brushing himself off to go make dinner. Alfred remained in his hammock until Connor brought out a plate of food to him. They ate in silence on the patio under the open starry sky, each lost in his own thoughts. The silence became awkward when dinner was finished and Connor cleared his throat, "Pablo asked me to visit for a couple days."

"How long are a couple days?" Alfred scowled. Damn the Mexican always stealing his brother away! Okay, maybe Alfred was being a little possessive and protective (though mostly wary and defensive) of his older brother but still! You can't trust Mexicans! That was always Alfred's reason when asked why he disliked his southern neighbor.

"I don't know. I should be back anytime during the first or second week of July though. Leaning more towards the second week," Connor replied.

Alfred gripped his fork tightly, "He's really got the nerve to call you to his home during me and Matthew's birthdays?"

"Oh relax, Alfred, it's just this one year I'm missing your birthday. You almost always forget mine," the older brother commented.

"What does he want anyway?" The younger demanded, his fork starting to bend.

"His boss thinks it is best if American and Mexican relations improved; and since I know you won't do it, I'm going instead."

"Right and does that mean going at it like rabbits for weeks on end?"

"You're infuriating. It means that I go there and he tells me about the progress his people have made and what needs improving; looking at how buildings are and how the government is structured, business like that. Though knowing him it will probably turn into me being dragged around like a tourist," Connor sighed, setting his dish and silverware on the table nearby. "My flight leaves at seven in the morning; I'll see you when I get back." With that, the elder brother got up and left, intending for Alfred to take care of the dinner dishes tonight.

* * *

Upon arrival in the airport in Mexico, Connor (after going through the usual airport business security crap with passports and all that fancy jazz) easily located his friend and fellow nation. However, due to what the other nations called "Alfred's identity crisis", the nations had developed a sort of greeting to be sure the person they were talking to was actually a nation of their world, not a duplicate. After walking around the barrier, the blond gave a small nod of acknowledgement.

"It's a great season we've been having. By far the most important season, wouldn't you agree?" the taller male asked.

Connor shook his head, "All the seasons are important in their own way, each one is unique."

"As are the nations of the world," the brunette grinned and pretty much tackle-hugged the blond. "Hey yeah I know you're probably tired but it's only a one or two hour difference in terms of time zones so I thought before we do all this stupid government business we should hang out and I'd take you to do some tourist-y stuff."

The younger nation pried Pablo off him before answering, "Are you serious, Pablo?"

"Come on we can drop your stuff off at my place then we can go into town and have some lunch," Pablo replied.

Connor was about to protest again though the pout he was given made him sigh, "Fine…"

"Yes! Come on, let's get moving then!" The older gave a victory smirk before grabbing the handle of a suitcase in one hand then grabbing Connor's wrist and marched towards the exit, dragging a reluctant American behind him.

* * *

"Okay I know you said we were going to do things tourists do but is seeing a silly fortune teller really on your bucket list, oh mighty tourist?" Connor asked sarcastically. The pair had eaten a quick lunch in a small, local café and was walking around an old Mexican city when they turned a corner onto a pedestrian street. The street was lined with all kinds of small stores and currency exchange shops, thought the purple tent with gold trimming caught the nations' eyes; a sign outside saying walk-ins were welcome.

"Hey, this might be my country but I don't always have time to interact with my people. Showing you around gives me an excuse to do so!" Pablo grinned and dragged the blond into the tent.

Connor was expecting the stereotypical old lady in front of a crystal ball who already knew who they were when they walked in, but was rather surprised to see an old man in front of a crystal ball who probably already knew who they were. A young lady wearing too much make up approached the pair with a coy grin. It was rather hard to miss she was trying to be seductive…key word being _trying_. The dress she wore made her breasts practically spill out over the top and her dress was so tight it made her backside look too big to be normal. Connor shuddered. Gross. She walked up to him, hips swaying and giving a toothy grin, "Its rare to see Americans in this part of town."

Pablo gave a slight glare and hooked an arm around Connor's waist, pulling him closer, "He's involved with someone else."

The lady looked about to give a sharp retort but wandered back into the room she came from. The older man sitting behind the crystal ball chuckled and motioned for them to come closer, "Don't mind Adriana, she always does that to young American men who come here. Come, come, have a seat! It is an honor to be in your presence, you two."

The nations exchanged a quick glance before Connor shrugged Pablo's arm off and went to sit across the fortune teller, his friend sighing and sitting next to him. "I am the fortune teller Caton. I must say it is both odd and wonderful to find the nations of Mexico and the southern United States here." He waved a hand with a small smile, "No matter, I will proceed as normal."

Holding both of his hands up in front of the crystal ball, closing his eyes, and focusing on something distant; the room was silent as Caton concentrated. He clasped his hands together slowly as he opened his eyes again, "I see a growing friendship between you two, though between your countries there is still much uncertainty and instability. The relations between your countries will probably never change, but that does not mean you cannot improve personal relations as individuals." He smiled briefly but sighed and rested his hands and arms on the table.

Caton's expression turned worried, "A word of caution. There is no immediate danger to either of you, your peoples, or your countries. Though the actions of another can be life altering….or even life ending. Connor, you must not let your boss attack another one of your kind without another member of the G20 to aid you and Alfred; the results could be disastrous; not only for the United States, but the rest of the world as well." Connor shifted a bit uneasily as the fortune teller continued, "Pablo, I fear a plague or even mass hysteria will break out in the near future. You will need to convince your boss to keep rumors and uncertain information away from the public. That is all I can tell you at this time."

"Gracias, señor," Pablo thanked him as the two stood and exited the tent.

As the pair began walking away in uncomfortable silence, Caton ran out to them, "There is one more thing. I was just reminded of a dream I had a long time ago. You must stay away from the man with the raven and adder! Do not fall for his treachery! Beware this man and his copied minions." Ignoring the curious and shocked glances from both the nations and the public, he hustled back to his tent, seeming edgy.

"This is exactly why I don't like psychics and people of that sort that do this kind of thing for a living. They get you all worked up over nothing and you spend the rest of your life paranoid about something that's never going to happen," Connor rolled his eyes and turned to continue walking.

Pablo followed after a bit nervously, "I don't know. He seemed to mean what he said. I'm not sure about all the stuff he said in the tent, but what he just said sounds like we should be concerned about whoever this stranger is."

"Who is honestly stupid enough to waltz around with a pet demon bird and poisonous snake?" The blue eyed male huffed.

It was almost as if he had spoken too soon. The pair came to an abrupt, dead stop. A store or two down was an outdoor bistro, and one of the customers was staring at them intently. He was tanned, his long chocolate brown hair slicked back and an intense green gaze. Even from a distance it was evident he was well muscled. A scar was on his left cheek. On his right shoulder a raven was perched, also watching them carefully. And coiled loosely around his upper left arm and shoulder under his jacket, peeking out, was something that could only be identified as a snake. The man gave a smile, though it was anything but a friendly smile. It was more of the kind of smile that screamed "I've found you, now let the games begin."

* * *

**AN:/ **Yooo what's up my awesome readers?! Been a few months now, huh? I honestly can say I had a great summer; I went to Europe! But then I came back and school. Argghhh. Anyway! It was right about this time I started the prequel to this. Though it was September 12, 2012 not September 2013! Wow if I could write that much in reverse days...I'd have to be a time lord. So the first story was aptly named "Eagle's Freedom", in which you later found out why because of the character it revolved around. You should also be familiar with the title of this story provided you read the first one! Take a wild guess about who this story will feature as the main character /wink/.

To be 100 percent honest, I wasn't even sure if I was even GOING to do a sequel. I started off by filling a request for AmeCan smut but then I started getting more ideas so I scratched out all the Matthew and began to develop this story. And still, I'm not sure I want to go through with this. Compared to the first story, there will be a significant lack of a plot. There's still going to be a huge plot, but if you're expecting something totally mind blowing and brain cell exploding like the last one, I'm afraid you won't find that in this story. I won't give too much away if I decide to write it out and people want to read it, but the main characters are going to Pablo and Connor and this mysterious stranger with a raven and adder. The plot...all I'm going to say is it involves lots and lots of alternate universe jumping. Oh and my flawed attempts at throwing romance into the plot. I hope you're all cool with MexicoXConfederacy. I mean its OC x OC, so I really don't see a problem there. And its not like SiberiaXBrazil. Did I type that publically oops oh well. ((By that comment I mean MexicoXConfederacy can be considered historically accurate to some degree.))

I think Alfred's line in retaliation to Connor is my favorite part about writing this chapter. Pft. "You couldn't get laid if a prostitute begged you." That's like the best thing I've ever come up with. Shows you how boring I am xP Oh also! When Connor mimicked Francis about Alfred learning diplomacy, that is a reference to 'Unwritten Rules' by JediShampoo here on Fanfiction. Its a good read if you like M rated FrUs :3

Please review making me aware of any grammar/spelling mistakes and errors! Also please tell me what you liked or didn't like about this chapter, and if you'd be curious for me to pull through with this! If you're going to flame please make it constructive :)

Until next time...maybe...  
Love, Alex

P.S. As for why the cover of the story is what it is...you'll figure it out in due time if this pulls through.


	2. Chapter 2: Bad Blood

_Chapter 2: Bad Blood_

"That's merely a coincidence," Connor huffed and glared at Pablo.

"Right," the Mexican nation snorted, "Because everybody has a pet raven and poisonous snake." They glared daggers at each other for a short while before looking back over at the spot where the man had been sitting. "Where'd he go?"

"Don't know, don't really care. What the man does is his business," the ex-nation replied, beginning to walk again, "Why don't we continue this little tourism thing so we can get down to business. Alfred isn't too pleased that you invited me here during his birthday so if I can get back before then, that would be nice."

Pablo sighed, "If that's what you think it best." Honestly the older of the two had secretly been hoping his friend would stick around after the government business had been discussed so they could go see the more scenic parts of the country, though it seemed that wasn't going to happen. The brunette was not the kind of person to keep others from doing what they wanted unless it would harm them. And Connor was headstrong, it was near impossible to change his mind once something was set. There were days Pablo found himself admiring the younger male, not only for looks, but for his ambition and independence.

In terms of the Western Zodiac (and the Chinese Zodiac), nations never really fell under one specific sign. Like their people, the nations had mixed feelings and different reactions to certain situations. Though, many nations and their Bosses had observed, the nations tended to lean more towards the personality that covered the date of their independence or other important holiday. For Connor, he was somewhere between a Pisces and an Aquarius. The Pisces side sought creativity and the want to change things for the better, while the Aquarius side provided the willpower to pull through and providing the desire for independence from an authority figure.

Which may or may not have had a hand in how he constantly bickered with Alfred. Although a Cancer and a Pisces should really be getting along well..? Though like all brothers, they would have their differences. That was beside the point though, it didn't really matter what his star sign was. How did he get to think about that anyway? …Right, admiration for the younger nation, that was how. Still, Pablo couldn't shake off the sight of that stranger.

"Come one, come all! Witness black magic right before your very eyes! No treats, just tricks~" A man standing outside a tent exclaimed, then repeated the sentence in Spanish for the native people. And then some other languages Pablo couldn't recall off the top of his head. A crowd had gathered and was now lined up to walk inside the large tent. Connor snorted and the man looked over, grinning. He was your average Mexican street rat trying to make a living off 'real' magic. The man spotted them and bound over, hooking his arms over Connor and Pablo's shoulders, blathering about the show to them in Spanish.

"Sorry, we're not interested," the blond replied, trying to slip away.

The man looked surprised, "You are American? Then it is on the house! We love tourists here!" He gave a hearty laugh, practically shoving the two into the tent then throwing them down on some cushions in the front row. Connor seemed rather displeased with the situation and Pablo couldn't help but snicker at his unimpressed face. It seemed they'd be here a little while, seeing as the crowd now blocked the way out. The lights in the show tent dimmed and spotlights shone down on the low stage…platform were more like it. And then it was like the air grew suddenly colder, as if an Arctic wind swept through the tent. On the stage stood the man the pair was told to avoid. Though now his eyes shone a deadly, venomous green and he wore a confident sneer to match it. The scar on his left cheek was more noticeable in the harsh light. He wore a black suit and glossy black dress shoes, complete with the stereotypical cape (which was a rich, deep purple on the inside and silky black on the outside). The audience cheered as he pulled a staff out of nowhere, thrusting it into the floor, sending out a wave of color. The staff came almost six feet tall, made of a fine dark oak wood with some sort of gem embedded into the top of it in the shape of a sphere a little smaller than a softball. It was some kind of opal, most likely, judging by the many magnificent colors.

"So you've come to witness my fine black magic, have you?" He asked, voice smooth as silk and alluring in every way, capturing the audience. It wasn't hard for him to get either of the nation's attentions either, as his accent was unfamiliar to both of them. "Well believe me, I've studied for centuries." The audience responded by muttering to each other in hushed disbelief and astonishment. "Oh? What's this, what's this? You do not believe I am centuries old? I've been slowly building my reputation since the Reconstruction Era of America."

"He sure don't act like it," Connor whispered and Pablo bit his lip to keep from laughing.

"And I can guess what most of you are thinking about me too. I don't look old enough to be almost one hundred years old, but looks can be rather deceiving. You see I'm not the only one who is immortal; there are hundreds of my kind. And I'm not a monster either so don't whip out your salt and torches." He paused for laughter. "No, no, I promise you we're not some endangered species either. We look like humans, act like humans…only we aren't. We're granted immortality by nature. But you didn't drop in to hear me talk about my people, let us get on with the show!"

And so this stranger went on to perform his dark magic, conjuring up creatures of myth and other magic tricks with darker sides and intensions. And it was almost an hour later he was done with his show, his raven flying out and centered over its master gave a chilling call and the magician went up in smoke, vanishing into thin air, business cards flying everywhere into the audience. Connor caught one, reading over it silently as the crowd left the tent. "He's one of us, Pablo," the younger male stated, showing the Mexican the card.

"_Care to unravel the mystery of immortality?  
Our secret is one that cannot be shared._

_It's a great season we've been having._

_By far the most important season, wouldn't you agree?_

_-Xanthium"_

"What makes you so certain?" Pablo asked after reviewing the card.

"A magician never reveals his tricks, and certainly doesn't change the topic from magic to weather at the drop of a hat."

"I find it interesting he should use the name of a poisonous plant for his stage name," Pablo commented. It was late into the afternoon now, the signs of the approaching night becoming more noticeable. "Xanthium is a poisonous cactus, almost all the birds that kept it under control have died off because of humans." Connor was silent, the lost in thought kind of silent.

It wasn't until they sat down in a restaurant for dinner that he spoke again (which was a considerable amount of time later…okay...half an hour…). "Do you suppose he's a new country? His accent isn't one I've heard…"

Pablo sighed, "There's always that possibility but we can't be too sure-"

"Good evening gentlemen," a voice in that strange accent came again. Was it just this man that made it that way or were all speakers in his country soft toned and silky voiced? "Mind if I join you? I'll cover my own bill."

The pair looked up, the magician from earlier standing by their table, though he was dressed more casual now, not a raven or snake in sight. With a grunt of almost disapproval, Connor just nodded and Xanthium sat down in the seat next to him. "Thank you, I hope I'm not intruding on your evening. I just couldn't help but see familiar faces and dining alone is no fun."

"No," Pablo replied gruffly, then cleared his throat to sound a bit more friendly, "You're not intruding our evening at all."

"Forgive my manners, you can call me Xanthium," he said.

"Pleased to meet you formally. I'm Pablo, that's Connor," the Mexican nation replied, gesturing to Connor. The blond gave a grunt he'd heard, but didn't make any other sound or movement.

Xanthium chuckled a bit, "Quite the silent, unfriendly fellow is he?"

"He's just tired, I'm sure. He normally isn't so cold to others," Pablo apologized for Connor, making sure to glare at the younger nation. "So tell us about yourself."

"Well…honestly I don't remember much about my mortal life. I don't remember my family…and after I became immortal I began to age much slower. I should really be about 143 years old, but my doctor has me written down as a seventeen-year-old boy. My pets have been my only companionship since I became immortal." He sighed. "Although…I'm young by both standards… A boy seventeen years of age is hardly a man to humans, and a 143 year old is still 'the new kid on the block' by my new species' standards." The two nations just nodded in silent agreement, the air growing tense and quiet until Xanthium spoke in a low tone, "It's a great season we've been having. By far the most important season, wouldn't you agree?"

Connor, who had been playing with a thread in his napkin, glanced up sharply with a jerk of his head. Pablo looked at Connor wide-eyed, then at Xanthium, and back at Connor again. The North American nations didn't know what to say for a while. The apparent nation waited patiently and Pablo awkwardly cleared his throat, turning his head to look out the window. The blond glared a bit at having to be the one to respond but muttered out the response, "All the seasons are important in their own way, each one is unique."

Xanthium smiled (Connor thought he saw a smirk, but it was so brief…he wrote it off as a trick of his mind), "As are the nations of the world."

"So you're one of us, huh kid?" Connor asked. The atmosphere around them should have gotten less tense, but the tension only increased at the revelation. The younger male nodded. "So….who are you exactly?"

"My country hasn't been established yet. We're working on it though. I have a government already. Capital city in progress, though honestly we're working…under the table so to speak." He replied.

"Well, that's progress. It seems as though you aren't occupied or a colony," Pablo commented, joining the conversation, "You have a name for your country and capital yet?"

"Oh yes, I have a name for my country in mind. As for my capital…really we've just decided to call it 'The Capital'. My country doesn't want a specific city to be the headquarters of my home but I suppose if you were to look on a map it would be Denver."

"Denver." Connor echoed, as if the word was foreign to him.

"Yes, Denver; you know? Denver, Colorado? Midwestern state in the United States," he responded and chuckled as if the blond were stupid.

Connor gripped his glass a little tighter, "You can't exactly uproot a nation that's already present and established."

"Oh, perhaps not in your sense; you see we already have high number, we've been marking out the borders in secret. That Alfred won't know what hit him."

Pablo shifted a bit further away, although he sat opposite Xanthium. "Like Connor said, you can't do that without starting a war against Alfred. As a new country your credentials are unproven and us others would not be so quick to ally with you against such a strong nation like America-"

"I don't need anybody's help." Xanthium snarled.

Connor cleared his throat again, "That's kind of ambitious for a young nation, don't you think?"

Xanthium chuckled, his snarl turning to sneer, "He won't be so strong when I'm done with him. He thinks he's so brave and powerful, but not even nations can stand chemical weapons and nuclear blasts for long. It makes us weaker, inhaling all those toxins, having land blown away and falling weak from a massive toll on population-"

The ex-nation stood up abruptly to tower over the teenager, chair scraping horridly against the floor, "Listen kid. Chemical weapons are banned from use by the United Nations and no asshole is stupid enough to start a nuclear war with the world power." His tone was low, but assertive, his glare should have been strong enough to make any newbie cower in their seat.

But this kid was different. He stood up as well, withdrawing a gun and cocking it, pressing it to the ex-nation's heart, "Don't speak to me about challenging the world power, Mister Confederacy. This is not a fight you will win. All these people," he nodded to the civilians in the restaurant, now staring at them wide-eyed, "Will watch a bullet go through your heart and they'll wonder why you don't die. And let me tell you, when you wake up from passing out you can expect to become nothing more than a lab rat for the rest of your existence until I blow the United States off the map. Scientists will be eager to learn so much about a…_super human_, don't think? So sit your ass back down and listen to what I tell you to do; any other movement spills your blood in a millisecond."

Connor scowled, clearly thinking the threat over. The click of another gun made them both look over at Pablo, who had now risen and had a pistol in his hand aimed at the teen's head, "Kid you have nerve to pull such a stunt in a public place. And you _don't_ screw with my friend. You shoot him and you go now with him, and I'll do whatever it takes to make sure you don't become a country."

"Your friend?" He laughed, "That's a joke. I don't even bother with World Summits and even I can tell you two are significantly closer than just that. But that's not the point. You both seem to be forgetting that I can use black magic, and it is much stronger than the three members of the Magic Trio combine."

While the young nation was busy gloating, Connor took advantage of his distraction and lunged forward, knocking the hand with the gun aside and a shot fired into the restaurant. People screamed and began to rush out of the building as the ex-nation pinned the younger to the floor, a hand around his throat, the other hand pinning Xanthium's wrist to the floor. "Give it up kid, you're still weak compared to us."

"Tsk, tsk Connor… You'll let me go if you don't want your boyfriend to suffocate." Xanthium sneered, looking over at Pablo. The Mexican had dropped his gun and was struggling to breathe with the snake wrapped tightly around his throat. "My snake isn't a constrictor, but he knows some snakes. Wouldn't it be terrible if he were to end up suffocated and passed out? Though I must say, it makes it easier for me with Mexico out of the way."

With a reluctant growl of defeat, Connor released the other and stood up, a sharp inhale coming from Pablo as the snake uncoiled, sliding to the floor and slithering away. Xanthium left his gun on the floor as he stood up, "Care to witness some more magic, boys? _Incarcerous._" He snapped his fingers, ropes springing from nowhere, coiling around the two and then to some chairs, effectively tying them to the chairs. "Not feeling so tough now, huh?"

"You coward," Connor shouted, only to be silenced by a rope that rose up and served as gag.

"I was going to ask you nicely to spill what you know but I'll just look into your mind now," Xanthium muttered, walking over to the ex-nation. He murmured another word under his breath and locked in an intense gaze with the blond. It was silent for a while before Xanthium spoke again, "Beautiful, beautiful, thank you for enlightening me." He spun on his heel, backs to them. "And now I have no use for either of you. I hope you enjoy your time in another universe, because there's simply no room for either of you in this one anymore."

"What are you talking about? Alternate universes only exist in the works of fiction!" Pablo hissed, struggling against his binds.

"Then I'll send you to an alternate universe, and when you come back, tell me how fake it was," he turned around, grinning maniacally, "Oh wait, you won't come back." His tone dropped to a hushed whisper and the floor under the two grew black. "Have a nice trip. I have a country to establish." With a cruel laugh he retrieved his gun and strolled out the door rather calmly as the floor swallowed the two nations up in darkness.

* * *

"Hey," a voice called out, "Hey. Wake up."

Connor's eyes flew up as he was slapped across the face. Great; now his head _and_ his face hurt. Connor hissed, "That hurt, Pablo you little shit!"

The Mexican ignored him, "Get up, we have to keep moving. I'll explain along the way."

"What's the big rush?" Connor asked, putting a hand on his head. What a terrible hangover…

"That bastard Xanthium sent us to a different universe. Thank God we still have our memories but we have to go, he must have sent minions after us to make sure we don't ever get back, and trust me, they're pretty ugly and really nasty. I watched one of these things rip apart a police officer, and I don't feel like sticking around to see if we can handle them."

Connor stood up on wobbly legs, head pounding in pain and confusion, "Ugh…" He let his hand be grabbed and allowed himself to be tugged along in a near jog.

"The police officer was sent to make sure two guys passed out on the sidewalk were okay but this horrible…_thing_ mauled him. We need to find a place to crash and in the morning we need to find out where we are and what is going on in this verse." Pablo huffed out. And suddenly it all came rushing back to Connor. Everything that had happened in the restaurant and his headache intensified. They ran a few more blocks, stopping at a corner to catch their breath. It was early in the morning, the streaks of dawn just beginning to stretch across the sky. "Come on, we need to find somewhere to rest. I'm sure your head hurts just as bad as mine," Pablo let go of the younger's hand.

"What are we supposed do? We're guys in our twenties and we can't just pop up out of the blue in this place. We have no identities here, no past, no history; we don't have anything except each other." Connor asked as they crossed the street. "We don't even know what country this is to convert money to. Hell, I don't even know if we have money."

"I don't know…now isn't the time to think about it. But I do know that we found a place to rest until we figure out what to do. Look," Pablo pointed at a large greenhouse behind a crumbling brick wall. "It looks like it has plants in it, which will be useful shelter. Come on."

Connor was in no mood to argue, so he just followed the other. They got over the wall easily then scanned the open yard before hustling into the greenhouse, slipping inside quickly. The pair located bags of mulch, seeds, and fertilizer in a room branching off the greenhouse, both too tired to really care about the prickly-ness of the mulch or the smell of the fertilizer. Sleep came quickly, but uneasily, as the two unknowingly shared nervous thoughts about the day to come.

* * *

The pair was awakened (seemingly but a few minutes later) by hushed whispering. "How long do you think they've been here?" "Probably not long…should we wake them up?" "That would be rude but…we'll have to before they get in trouble." "They don't look like students here. Who are there?" Then there was a sharp prod to his side and Connor shot upright, flinching away from the poke. He wasn't ticklish but that was a sensitive area on most… Pablo opened his eyes groggily at the stir, sitting up slowly, yawning.

"Oh great you're awake!" A young lady with short blonde hair chirped. She had bright blue-green eyes and a blue ribbon tied in her hair. Her face was young and she had a small build, though it was easy enough to tell she was a teenager. She wore a pastel pink t-shirt over a long sleeved white shirt and she had on light blue jeans and some sneakers covered in dried mud and grass.

"Ms. Liechtenstein?" Pablo asked, suddenly more alert, "You seem…different…"

She looked slightly surprised, "Have we…met before?"

"…" Pablo exchanged a guarded look with Connor, "Err…no but I've heard of you."

"Of course, many people have heard of the Hetalia Academy and the students that attend it. It is a rather famous vocational high school, after all," another woman spoke up. As Pablo swiveled his head around he recognized her immediately, Ukraine. While Lili's outfit seemed to have changed, Katyusha's remained relatively the same. Her jean overalls tucked into her black, rubber boots, her overly large breasts stretching her white blouse much further than it should be stretched; a light blue headband in her short platinum blonde hair.

Connor blinked, "Vocational high school?"

"Yes," Lili nodded, "It's not a 'normal' high school by means of any country. There are plenty around the world; it's just that this one is renowned. A vocational school has technical areas that you can specialize in and get a special diploma. So if you pass in your technical area, shop as we call them more commonly, you get a technical diploma and a high school diploma. Here at Hetalia Academy we have 21 technical areas."

"You didn't seem to flinch when I called you by your country name," Pablo noted.

She shook her head, "No. Only the other nations would know that. There are human students here and the teachers are human too, but they assume that it's all a part of our school club and it's just code names for each other."

"Well on that note I'm Pablo, Mexico. And this is Connor, the Confederate States," the brunette grinned.

"Pleased to meet you," Ukraine smiled, "I'm Ukraine, or Katyusha, but a lot of people call me Kat for short."

Lili bowed politely, "Liechtenstein, or Lili, as you…seem to already know. We should bring you to the principal for registration then."

"Erk…won't the other students wonder who we are and why we smell like the garden?" Connor asked.

"If they see you with us they'll assume you're just some more Environmental Science students, though the other Environmental students may throw you questioning looks. Some shops just have nothing to do with each other. The only other students who may find you out of place are the Aerospace Science students, who are right next door," Kat explained, leaving the doorway.

"Please follow us," Lili added politely, also leaving.

"How peculiar it will be to go through high school…my education has only ever come from Antonio or the government…" Pablo muttered quietly before getting up and following after the girls, Connor close behind.

And true to the girls' words, the students were only just starting to crowd the hallways, and the ones already there didn't bat an eye at them. The school day hadn't even started, Connor observed, as a large crowd of students flocked to the cafeteria for breakfast. They passed one of the three doors to the cafeteria and turned left suddenly into an office labeled 'Main High School Office'. An older woman sat behind the desk with 'Secretary' sitting on it with piles upon piles of paperwork stacked up around her. The next desk over was the attendance secretary, who was surrounded by four students at the moment. The duo was occupied looking around, missing the information that was passed to them. A soft nudge was enough to bring Connor back.

"Come on, we'll show you to the Principal now. Normally you would go to the admissions office but nations are generally a special case." Lili trotted off and turned right, passing the east entrance of the cafeteria again. To say the main hallway was long would be an understatement, it was impossibly long. They passed the assistant principal's office, the admission's office, three classrooms, a janitor's closet, the school's power system room, the door that lead to the band hallway, the door that lead outside to Aerospace and Environmental, the gym locker rooms, a health classroom, another shop (something with computers and another that had to do with bricks), something medical related, something with a lot of bricks, a matted gym for wrestling practice, and just before a lobby area with benches, they entered a small off to the side office across from yet _another_ assistant principal office. Why was this school spread out so far?! Why didn't they just build up?!

Lili knocked on the doorframe, making the secretary in the office look up and smile, "He's in the back, go right on in." The girls nodded quietly and lead the boys into the room connected to the front office. A few chairs sat against the wall of the door, across from that a desk littered with important looking papers and a large leather chair. A TV was perched on a shelf in the corner of the room and was currently displaying today's lunch – grilled cheese or sloppy Joe with some assorted fruits and drinks.

"If this was a normal principal I would say 'see you later' but….he isn't exactly normal. The human students will tell you otherwise but we nations know better. So…I'll offer you both a 'good luck' instead." Kat gave a forced grin, though her blue eyes were glittering with a sort of fear as she ushered Lili out quickly. Pablo just shrugged after they left and inspected a banner on the wall a little closer, "Hetalia Academy Ravens. How….familiar…"

"I think I know who the principal is and I have a horrible feeling in my gut about it," Connor walked over to him, "We should leave, and find a way out of this universe before those freaky things you were talking about catch up and find us."

"Good morning, gentlemen," that dreaded silky voice purred from behind them, sending shivers down their spines in an immediate effect. Connor tensed, jumping a little as the door shut and a faint click was heard. "Why don't you sit down and try to _relax_?"

"Cut the bullshit, kid, tell us what's going on," Connor hissed, turning to face the younger, only to shrink back a little when he realized that Xanthium had grown, and looked much older. He swallowed hard and took a step back.

Xanthium chuckled, "Not feeling so bold anymore, hm? I'd like to discuss the current situation without calling the resource officer down. Now sit." He walked over to his oversized chair and sat down, watching the two with a piercing gaze. Under the rather threatening gaze, the two slunk to the chairs opposite the apparent principal. "Allow me to explain where you stand now. Connor, you're a senior, 16 years old and Pablo, you're also a senior, only you're 17 years old. The story I expect you to tell the humans is that you both moved here from America and Mexico, respectively your own country. Pablo, you my young boy are simply an exchange student and Connor, you were sent here because your father sent you here to finish your education and get a job to send home to your sick, and might I add, dying mother."

"What, he can't do it himself?" Connor scoffed, though there was a bit of sudden hurt and loneliness in his voice.

"You won't fool me, boy. Your mother never loved you. Alfred was always her favorite and you and I both know it. She gave you away to this man you're forced to call a father. You practically grew up without knowing her." Xanthium leaned forward over his desk a little, still sitting though.

"You're lying!" Connor spat, "She loved me as much as any mother could love a child! She didn't give me away you imprudent bastard, Antonio took me from her!"

"Maybe in the world you come from, but not here. Alfred doesn't even remember you he was so young when she gave you away. It was a fair trade in her eyes. Giving away a son she was forced to have through rape to the man who raped her to keep you both away and seal away her bad memories. And you agreed to help your mother because you feel that if you help her live maybe she'll love you." Xanthium watched the blond with a cocky smile and gleaming eyes. "And even though you don't have the connection to the you of this world, you still feel that if you help her you'll know her better. Hold onto her memory longer. Tell me I'm wrong."

When Connor didn't reply and stared steadily at the ground the principal's smile widened. "Now, continuing on. Ages, appearances, and other things change to fit the setting of the alternate universe. If I feel you are getting too close to the truth and making 'secret' and 'under the table' deals or alliances, I'll simply change the universe on you once more. And let me tell you, I have several up my sleeve, ready to go."

"But is this secret of yours so deep you need to keep only the two of us from knowing it?" Pablo challenged.

Xanthium chuckled, "I assure you, when I am not in this world, I am back in your world, continuing my preparations and if any nation starts putting pieces of the puzzle together or refuses to cooperate or even threatens to bring their new knowledge to Alfred, they'll end up in a similar predicament as you. Only…no two nations will be in the same alternate verse at the same time. You two should consider yourselves lucky to at least have each other. If you're not careful you could become separated." The last sentence was said as a warning of sorts. "Now then…if you have no further questions…." There was a pause, silence greeting him, "Very well. With that in mind I welcome you to the Hetalia Academy. Choose your shop slash technical area wisely, you'll be with those people for the remainder of the school year…if you so choose for that happen and don't slip up along the way."

Xanthium stood, strolling over to the door and opening it, grinning proudly as a 'normal' principal would, and telling his secretary to set the two of them up with some classes. He left, heading into the now crowded hallway and disappearing into the student body. The pair walked over to the secretary slowly.

She sensed nothing wrong with the atmosphere, it seemed, "It's a Friday, boys, cheer up! So normally we don't accept seniors because they wouldn't have enough credits to graduate but if our principal likes you then so be it. Freshman year you would do shop rotations through all 21 areas and ultimately pick, apply, and interview for the shop you want but I guess you can just pick a shop and if they have an opening I can put you in there." She slid an orange page with all 21 technical areas on it towards them across the desk.

They scanned over it quietly, the secretary typing away and looking up things and schedules on her computer screen. "I suppose I'll try Environmental Science," Connor spoke.

"Electronics sounds…interesting and rather fun," Pablo added.

"Alright, I'll see if we have openings," she replied, looking up more information. It was silent in the small office for a while as she clicked away, nobody saying anything. About ten minutes of nothing but clicking and typing and the clock second hand ticking by, the printer gave an odd whirring sound and several sheets of paper popped out. She glanced at them after swiping them off the printer, then passing two sheets to each of them. "The first sheet is your schedule, on the back is a map of the school with your locker location and locker combo. And the second sheet is a letter for your teachers to look over since it's uncommon for seniors to be accepted so late in the school year. Good luck boys." It was a polite way of shoving them out the door.

A high pitched monotone bell sounded, and it wasn't in a beat, it was just a solid beep that droned on for about 5 seconds before cutting off. "Guess that's the bell for first period. What do you have?"

"Physics in room 114," Connor answered.

"Drat I have Trigonometry in 708." Pablo glanced back and forth at their schedules, "I guess I'll see you 3rd period then." The two walked back as far down as the main office/cafeteria lobby before parting way, dodging the many students who were hustling by to get the class (it sucked to only have 4 minutes between classes in a school spread out over a good number of miles). Though neither of them noticed a few students watching them; an auburn haired boy with tanned skin and ruby eyes and a pale skinned boy with hair dyed slightly pink. And on the opposite side of the lobby was another student watching them, a dark brown haired boy with a slight tan, and eerie violet eyes. As the lobby emptied out the three made eye contact briefly before heading off to their respective classes without uttering a word.

* * *

**AN:/** Hello my lovely readers! I feel it's about time I posted something again. Hope I didn't bore you with a wait or anything…not like anybody is reading this anyway…sigh… I suppose I'll just write this for my own amusement now; get these ideas out of my head and into some words that organize my thoughts better. But for anyone that is reading this or planning to follow this, I intend for each chapter to be a different alternate universe in Hetalia.

Though the next chapter will be shorter considering I added about half of it to this one. Now, high school AU's are very common things but…they're always normal high schools? Like wow that is lame. So I decided to add my own little spin – vocational high school! Vocational high schools actually exist and, if you are in the United States, there is generally one vocational high school per state county. In real life high school are generally very diverse because you get people from across the state attending it. My high school is in fact a vocational school. We need 29 credits to graduate, in 8th grade we must apply to the vocational (vo-tech) school and hope to be accepted based on the school's lottery (if we have an older sibling that attending, academic performance, parent teaches there, etc.). And once we get in during our freshman year we do shop rotations – my school happens to have 21 technical areas. And by February we start long rotations of two shops we really like to learn more about those two (we spend 4 days in each shop on regular rotation and we spend 1 semester/2 marking periods in rotations but long rotation is 6-8 weeks). And by April we dress professionally and we must have a portfolio completed, a resume, references/recommendations of teachers, a cover letter, and other things ready to go to apply to the shop we want. Which is why we only accept freshman and sophomores. It is extremely rare and only happens under special circumstances if a junior or senior is put into the school because 9 of our graduation credits must be shop credits so a junior or senior wouldn't have enough credits to graduate unless they came from another vocational school.

Wow long winded. I'm should stop before the Author's note is longer than the actually chapter xP  
This chapter was inspired by  
_Bad Blood_ by Creature Feature

So I plan on using the following AU's:

-Vocational High School  
-Omegaverse & Cardverse  
-Omegaverse & High School  
-Nekotalia  
-Pokemon  
-Human AU (For this one I want to explain how I think the nations actually became the nation personification; I'm really excited for this one!)  
-Avatar/Korra

and…that's all I can think off at the moment. I will be explaining the more rare/uncommon verses in each chapter (like Omegaverse and Cardverse). They won't appear in that order so if you have any suggestions and/or alternate verses, please feel free to drop me a line, I won't bite!

Until next chapter! Love,  
Alex

P.S. I'm going to fucking cry and chuck Xanthium's entire character development out the window if you already know what country he is. *stares at you unhappily*


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